Thai Sticky Rice Khao Niao Recipes

THAI SWEET STICKY RICE WITH MANGO (KHAO NEEO MAMUANG)

Steps:

• Combine the rice and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat and set aside. Stir the cooked rice into the coconut milk mixture; cover. Allow to cool for 1 hour.
• Make a sauce by mixing together 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the tapioca starch in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Place the sticky rice on a serving dish. Arrange the mangos on top of the rice. Pour the sauce over the mangos and rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

KHAO NIAW (STICKY RICE)

Steps:

• Put the sticky rice in a large bowl and add enough tepid tap water to cover by an inch or two. Let it soak for at least 4 hours or up to 10 hours (as long as it's not very hot in your kitchen; if you're in a hurry, you can get away with soaking it in hot tap water for as little as 2 hours).
• Pour off the soaking water. Put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer set inside a large bowl. Fill the bowl with enough cool tap water to cover the rice by an inch or two. Use your hand to gently stir the rice, then lift the strainer from the bowl. The water in the bowl will be cloudy from the rice starch. Empty the water, set the strainer in the bowl again, and repeat the process until the water is, more or less, clear. You'll probably have to change the water two or three times. Drain the rice.
• Pour enough water into the sticky rice steamer pot to reach a depth of about 2 inches. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Either add the rice to the mesh bag and put the bag in the basket or line the woven steamer basket with two layers of damp cheesecloth and dump the rice onto the cheesecloth. Fold the bag or cheesecloth so it covers the rice, pat the bundle so the rice is in a more or less even layer, and cover with a pot lid or clean, damp kitchen cloth, tucking it around the bundle.
• Decrease the heat slightly to maintain a steady but not furious boil and set the basket into the pot. Cook until the grains are fully tender but still chewy (almost springy) and definitely not mushy, about 15 minutes. (Larger batches of sticky rice take about 20 minutes, and the rice bundle should be flipped over once halfway through the steaming process.)
• Transfer the rice to a small cooler or large bowl covered with a plate. Wait about 15 minutes before digging in. The sticky rice will stay warm for an hour or so.
• You can successfully reheat leftover sticky rice; cover and microwave on low, then eat it right away.

THAI GRILLED SWEET STICKY RICE WITH BANANA FILLING

Steps:

• Fill the steamer pot with water as full as you can without the bottom of the basket touching the water and set the pot over high heat. Drain the rice, being careful not to break the grains. When the water boils, place the rice in the bamboo basket and rest the basket in the top of the pot. Steam the rice over rapidly boiling water, stopping when it has barely turned glossy and is still dry (it will be cooked again), about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• While the rice is still hot, combine the coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, sugar, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the hot sticky rice, making sure every grain is separate and coated with the coconut syrup. The mixture will appear soupy at this point, but don't panic. Cover the pan tightly and leave the rice undisturbed at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, wipe the banana leaves clean with a damp cloth, then cut into 12 pieces, each 12 by 10 inches, with the 10-inch side parallel to the leaf grain. Have ready 24 toothpicks.
• After an hour, the rice will have absorbed the hot coconut syrup, cooled, and become firmer. At this point, it should be fully cooked but not soft, and tender enough to eat. Use a butter knife to divide it, directly in the saucepan, into quarters. Then divide each quarter into three equal wedges. Lay a piece of banana leaf, dull side up and with a long side facing you, on a work surface. Place a portion of the sticky rice in the center of the leaf. Use your fingers to form the rice into a flat, oblong bed parallel with the grain of the leaf. The bed should be about the length of a banana half and twice its width. Press a banana half firmly into the center of the rice bed. Using your fingers, gently fold the overhangs of the sticky rice over the banana half and manipulate it so it covers the banana entirely. With the banana leaf positioned in such a way that its grain is perpendicular to your body, lift up the left edge of the leaf and fold it along the grain over the filled sticky rice, tucking it in tightly. Continue to roll from left to right, forming a compact packet. Secure each end with a toothpick, positioned as close to the rice as possible. Trim off the overhangs, leaving only about 1 inch on each end. Repeat with the remaining banana leaves, sticky rice, and banana halves.
• To grill the packets, light natural wood charcoal and allow it to burn until you have low coals under a heavy layer of ash. Grill the packets directly over the coals, flipping them every 5 minutes, until the leaves are thoroughly charred and the packets are heated through. This should take 35 to 45 minutes. Alternatively, place an oven rack in the lowest position in the oven and preheat the broiler (if your broiler is adjustable, set it at low). Arrange the banana packets on a large sheet pan, place the pan on the oven rack, and broil the packets, flipping them every 5 minutes, until the leaves are charred and the packets are heated through, about 40 minutes (fewer, if your broiler automatically sets at high). Leave the packets to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
• Leftover packets can be frozen, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator and baked in a preheated 350°F oven until softened and heated through, 30 minutes.